The time of the year when men can grow their beards for a cause has arrived. The movement No Shave November or as Australians call it, “Movember”, aims to raise awareness of cancers specifically affecting males, and to prevent suicide among men. It is a more creative way to tell and remind people to contribute to cancer prevention, by supporting organizations’ research for treatment. It’s also a way to encourage males to talk about both physical and mental issues, something they often don’t do. This month, financial donations to organizations in charge of these causes are being promoted.
What should you do? The money you would typically spend at the barbershop you can now donate for this purpose - and let your beard grow!!!
“How a Mo can Save your Bro”
*To be noted: not all people are similar, and although the article is dedicated to men, this does not mean that all men feel and go through the same process. It does not mean that all men experience the same problems. Lastly, the topic regards all sexes and genders.*
How did No Shave November come to be?
The movement first began in Australia in 2003 as a campaign to raise awareness of Prostate Cancer. The term “Movember” was coined at that time and is a blend of “mo”, which is slang for mustache in Australia, and November [6]. It started with a group of friends who decided to stop shaving and use the money meant for grooming for a more noble cause. They continued to collect money for charities and shared this initiative with more and more people. The idea of no shaving comes almost as a tribute to the pain and suffering that people undergoing chemo go through. So, people who do not shave accept the inconvenient beard as a sign that they “suffer” together with the ill person and that they are there for them.
This movement then further developed into a fight against all types of cancer, when in Chicago, in 2009, the family of Matthew Hill did the same following his death due to colon cancer [3]. Hence, in 2009 “No Shave November" officially came to life, and with the help of social media has spread like wildfire. Nowadays, the movement represents not only the fight against different types of cancer specific to males but also to prevent suicide and increase awareness of mental health among men. Research has always shown that, on average, men die earlier than women, mostly from causes that could be prevented [7, 8, 10] ; this is why knowledge about this topic, and movements like Movember, are of great salience.
Therefore, with November at our doorstep, we decided to dedicate this article to men's health. :)
“Deal with it” Attitude
The reason men and women are not clustered together while discussing mental health is because of the different stigmas and self-concepts we are educated about, or automatically absorb, while growing up. The labels that we form dictate our behavior, self-image, and ultimately our mental health. Women from a young age are typically encouraged to display, discuss and become aware of their emotions while men are usually encouraged to be tough and to ignore a wider range of feelings. The common means of encouragement can look like: “get on with it”, or “shake it off”. After a lifetime of being infused with these narratives, men eventually avoid seeking help, in order to maintain their masculine identity. The decision to ask for help would be incongruent with the norms of how a man is supposed to behave! Most often this results in avoidance of psychological as well as medical services [5].
Indeed, studies show that of all demographics, young men are the least likely to look for professional help out of fear of being wrongly perceived by their peers, for example: being considered gay, non-masculine, or “insane” [1] . They display fear, shame, and embarrassment, and yet there is a lack of attention dedicated to the social stigma that young men experience. (Actually, the fact that there is little research about this proves and perpetuates this even more!). What’s worse is that this actually creates real risk in extreme situations: when experiencing suicidal thoughts, men are even less inclined to ask for help. They feel as if they do not even have this choice.
Ireland has one of the highest rates of suicide among young men (20- 25 years old) [13]. Because there is less emphasis on emotional acceptance and the exploration of solutions for their distress, men tend to be caught in a vicious cycle of avoidance that in time can escalate to a deeply-rooted and unavoidable problem [2].
It is clear then, that the lack of emotional understanding and self-compassion can be detrimental as it can lead to an increased rate of suicide among men.
A great deal of research focusing on emotional intelligence suggests that recognizing emotions and feelings are trained skills that can be acquired by reading, pondering, and discussing them often [9]. There is a lot of literature pointing to the benefit of teaching these skills early on: emotional training can effectively help children recognize emotions in themselves and other people around them, and develop the necessary skills needed later in life [12].
Furthermore, a study by Heath et al. (2017) posits that men who have more self-compassion present a weaker link between masculine conformist norms and help-seeking barriers [4]. Self-compassion is indeed another important aspect in men’s mental health. I won’t delve more into it here, but do take note of it. :)
My Short Interview
The following questions and answers are based on an informal interview I conducted with some of my male friends. I have reduced their names to a single letter to keep them anonymous.
Diana: “How did you experience your emotions while growing up?”
J: “I was raised by the boomers, I had to teach to express myself when I became an adult.”
R: “ I used to hide all the feelings inside of me for the longest time. I ultimately learned from other guys in school who were more expressive.”
L: “I learned to be ashamed of my fears and do it anyway. It helped me become tougher.”
Diana: “Were you able to talk about physical pain when it occurred?”
J: “Talking about physical pain was not frowned upon, but not encouraged either.”
R: “Not talking about physical pain was not something my parents taught me. It was more of a mutual understanding between me and my brothers.
We use to laugh every time one of the brothers got hurt.”
L: “My upbringing was not specifically rough but I remember one time when my parents were angry with me for crying.”
The belief system, norms, and consequent behavior can be partly understood by Social Identity Theory, according to which a person's self-identity is derived from their perceived membership to a certain group 11. This group provides a sense of belonging, of pride, and self-esteem - it is understandable then why people allow themselves to be defined by the group membership. But this also means unconsciously adopting the belief systems that are considered acceptable by the other members. Hence, if dominant masculine norms are predominant in the group they are in, men not only disregard emotions but even adopt an adverse attitude towards seeking help 5. The answers above clearly prove this theory.
In conclusion…
With the No Shave November initiative, we aim to increase awareness of men’s mental health. You don’t necessarily have to stop shaving, but we encourage you to join this initiative by talking about it, listening to your friends and family in need, and donating money to charities that support this cause. Also, pop a message to your bros today and ask them how they are. <3
In the past years, donations following Movember had significant impacts - they provided funds for more education and research about prostate cancer.
Some cool things that happened thanks to Movember: Brands of beer have joined to give out free beer in return for a hashtag that supports the cause! A police association managed to raise funds for pediatric cancer research and stem cell research. :)
There are other ways to help:
- You can sign up for the movement
“How a Mo can Save your Bro” – https://us.movember.com/
- Raise awareness on social media by discussing, posting, and using hashtags such as
#NoShaveNovember, and #Movember
- Share your beard-growing process and talk about its significance.
- Organize events for raising money for charities.
https://us.movember.com/donate/details?memberId=97
- The last and most important one is to constantly check up with all the men in your life. Ask about their mental and physical state and practice non-judgment while listening. Remember that a simple question can save a life.
Reference:
- Barney, L. J., Griffiths, K. M., Jorm, A. F., & Christensen, H. (2006). Stigma about depression and its impact on help-seeking intentions. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 40(1), 51-54.
- Biddle, L., Donovan, J., Sharp, D., & Gunnell, D. (2007). Explaining non‐help‐seeking amongst young adults with mental distress: a dynamic interpretive model of illness behaviour. Sociology of health & illness, 29(7), 983-1002.
- Carrington, Y. (2020). Why We No-Shave in November. Journal of Research and Opinion, 7(2), 2638-2642.
- Heath, P. J., Brenner, R. E., Vogel, D. L., Lannin, D. G., & Strass, H. A. (2017). Masculine norm adherence and psychological help-seeking barriers: The buffering role of self-compassion. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 64, 94-103.
- Heath, P. J. (2019). Masculinity and psychological help seeking: An application of Social Identity Theory (Doctoral dissertation, Iowa State University).
- Landau, M. (2019). Movember—Owen Sharp and Paul Villanti. Clinical Chemistry, 65(1), 4-14.
- Luy, M., & Gast, K. (2014). Do women live longer or do men die earlier? Reflections on the causes of sex differences in life expectancy. Gerontology, 60(2), 143-153.
- Ngamaba, K. H., Kandala, N.-B., Ilenda, F. B., & Mupolo, P. K. (2022). Are men’s happiness and life satisfaction linked to why men die earlier than women? A panel study from 1981 to 2020 in 102 countries. Journal of Happiness and Health, 3(1), 14–33. https://doi.org/10.47602/johah.v3i1.33
- Pons, F., Harris, P. L., & Doudin, P. A. (2002). Teaching emotion understanding. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 17(3), 293-304.
- Regan, J. C., & Partridge, L. (2013). Gender and longevity: why do men die earlier than women? Comparative and experimental evidence. Best practice & research Clinical endocrinology & metabolism, 27(4), 467-479.
- Sherriff, N. (2007). Peer group cultures and social identity: an integrated approach to understanding masculinities 1. British Educational Research Journal, 33(3), 349-370.
- Sprung, M., Münch, H. M., Harris, P. L., Ebesutani, C., & Hofmann, S. G. (2015). Children's emotion understanding: A meta-analysis of training studies. Developmental Review, 37, 41-65.)